Category: Poetry

Lessons learned
From all the struggles
Of daily life
Contribute to a reticent
Wisdom
That leaks from our mouths
Like so much
Tobacco smoke
Breathed out of ones mouth
After deeply inhaling
A cigar.
Perhaps,
The flavor is less satisfying,
But that depends how often
You’ve done it,
And whether or not
You know how to do it right.
Slow and smooth
Is probably a good tactic,
I would imagine,
But I wouldn’t know,
Since I have asthma.
Funny, I wonder if
I have a corresponding excuse
For not gaining wisdom?

Homeless, forsaken,
Shunned, so hard…
We have no idea
What it’s like, to really
Suffer. Or do we?
Do we live deep inside
Our own private hell,
Every day?
A torture chamber
That we have created,
With all our worries,
Doubts, fears, hates,
Insecurities, nervousness,
Jealousy, lust, greed,
The list goes on and on.
Do we know what it means
To really suffer?
Perhaps, more
Than we’d like to admit.
No surprise, then,
When heaven calls up
The cavalry
To deliver us
From ourselves.
I guess we need saving,
And then some.
And, just think:
I don’t even like to stop
And ask for directions!

So many worries on my mind.
Christmas is coming.
Friends wonder where I’ve been,
Family wonders when I’m coming.
So many shoes left untied.
So many hurts left unsoothed.
What are all the answers?
Conflict and drama abound,
Everyone seems unsatisfied
With something.
The darkness grows.
But deep in that darkness,
Just where you’d least expect it,
There is a light.
And that light grows,
And grows,
And grows.
Grace comes to sleep
In my tattered stable
This holy season.
The Christ child finds
A less than perfect home.
But he makes it perfect,
Just by his presence.
Please, Lord,
Help me remember
The reason
For the season!

Slipped slopped wick stop
By you, by me, score oh no
Push trash pop yell stomp
Shove grab caught run
Catch move throw spin
Happy celebrate relief
Scared surprised nervous
Countdown seconds to
Go press hold jump pump
Panic fight patient quiet
Made it ending sleep

Anxious elephants stampede
Across my heart.
The tidal waves of rushing blood
Speed through my veins
To nowhere.

I cry a silent scream
Enveloped in marshmallow cream.
I smile because I have had
A very busy, but fulfilling day.
Can there be more to come?

As another poet has said,
“Let’s be weird together,”
As much as our inspiration
And adrenaline will take us.
Then, perhaps, after that

We will sleep.

Missing you,
In body but not in spirit,
Shows me what I miss
About those happy times,
When we were together.
Thinking back
Over the years,
There were many good times,
Which made us closer,
As well as difficult ones,
Which made us stronger.
I value all the experiences
That we had together,
Because you are
Important to me.
You can never
Get all the years back,
All the time and distance
That lies between us.
But I know,
That whenever we
Are together again,
We will cherish that time,
And not take it for granted.
It’s so easy to get lost
In the business of life,
All the many distractions.
But please never forget
That I love you.

Far, far away,
Thinking of you.
Close in heart and mind,
Remembering times past.
Today I heard
What you were up to,
On this holiday.
I wished you well,
Full of hope,
But sad to be so distant.
I still hope, one day,
We can be together again,
Celebrating
Like so many others.
So, now, I make
A toast to your health,
And peace for your soul,
Until I see you again.

It’s funny, how,
Sometimes
We worry and worry
About something,
And then,
When something
Finally happens,
It turns out to be
Nothing.
What a strange mind I have.
Is this normal?
Not that I ever
Thought I was.
But isn’t it crazy
How something seems
Like this gargantuan monster
In our imagination,
Then it turns out
To be a little,
Mewing kitten?
Weird.
Thank goodness,
For small miracles!

I have never been good
At taking advice.
I over-analyze, and
My skeptical instinct
Wants to know,
What is the hidden agenda,
If there is one?
Why does this person
Want me to do this?
Is this wisdom,
Passed on in love?
Of course,
It depends who it is,
What I already know
About this person,
Whether they tend to be
Selfish, self-centered,
Or self-serving.
It depends if I detect
That I am being
Manipulated
Due to someone’s hang ups,
Confusion, prejudices,
Stereotypes, obsessions,
Fears, and such.
It is more difficult,
When some of these
Is common, in dealing
With this person,
But I truly believe
They are making
An attempt to help me.
Maybe they think
They are helping me,
But I just don’t agree.
And, if I disagree,
Then what?
I don’t like offending
Other people,
Especially loved ones,
Who also tend to be
The ones that offer
Advice the most.
What a quandary!
You would think,
Now that I am
Past forty, I would
Have all this figured out.
Nope.

Saturday, circles;
Bowing to the king.
My wallet appreciates, but
My heart suffers; or does it?
I struggle with whether
To do, or not to do.
They struggle; or do they?
Mixed messages, good and bad.
Where is my direction?
A mist rises, blocking sight.
I cannot tell which way to go.
Responsibility pulls me,
And I know that feeling.
I have been there before.
I was raised with a tuning fork
That keeps me in that key.
But where do the boundaries lie?
When do I say no?
Perhaps, never?
Maybe, to do what I’m told
Is my destiny. I am good at that.
But when does servanthood
Become servitude?